1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a handheld device for applying flat, annular reinforcing rings about apertures already punched in sheets of material, such as paper.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For years a problem has existed in that considerable stress is often applied to the structure of papers fastened in files in the area immediately surrounding holes punched in the paper near the paper edge. The structure of the papers then tears through the short distance of material between the holes and the edges of the sheets of paper near which the holes are formed. When this occurs the sheets are no longer retained firmly in the file or binder in which they are stored.
One system that has been available for many years for remedying this situation is the use of flat, annular reinforcing rings that may be secured to the areas surrounding the punched holes. These reinforcing rings are typically formed of a material of greater strength than the paper or other sheet material in which the holes are punched. The reinforcing rings are coated with either a moisture-sensitive or pressure-sensitive adhesive and are applied to the sheets of paper or other material about holes formed therein once the holes have been punched.
The principal problem with this prior arrangement is that it has historically been performed manually. The task of reinforcing punched holes in the hundreds, and even thousands, of sheets of paper that are secured in files by the manual application of such reinforcing rings is often so labor intensive as to be impractical. Consequently, this system of reinforcement, while used to some extent, is not prevalent.
Various reinforcing ring applicators have been devised for concurrently punching perforations in sheets of material such as paper or plastic, so that these sheets may be held within an office filing article such as a ring binder or a file folder employing pronged fasteners. Such conventional combination punchers and reinforcers typically employ punching mechanisms that are operated by a lever to form one or more perforations in a sheet of material, and a reinforcer application system for contemporaneously reinforcing an area surrounding the perforations. The articles providing reinforcement may take the form of patches of adhesive tape or annular, reinforcing wafers with a pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon.
While the combination hole punchers and reinforcers are quite useful, often the need for reinforcement of the edges of sheets of paper and other material in which perforations have been formed does not become apparent until after the holes have been punched. Consequently, a need exists for a simple system for quickly and economically applying reinforcement rings about existing perforations in sheet material.
One device that is highly advantageous for applying reinforcement rings of this type about existing perforations in sheets of material is described in my prior U.S. application Ser. No. 11/092,079 filed Mar. 29, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,007, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This prior system employs a handheld, spring loaded reinforcer in which a supply of a plurality of flat, annular reinforcing rings are engaged by friction on the corrugated surface of a mounting post and advanced along the post. The device has a lower tip with fingers which deflect radially inwardly upon depression of a plunger. However, I have since created a handheld reinforcement ring applicator that is even more reliable in its operation.